High school football: Madison records thorough win over Chagrin Falls

The sign on the corner of Burns Road on the way to Madison reads, “Welcome to Blue Streak Territory.”
Aug. 29 against fellow playoff contender Chagrin Falls, that territory claim was not in dispute.
Connor Smith threw for three touchdowns and ran for another score as the Blue Streaks dealt the visiting Tigers their first shutout loss since Week 8 of 2007, 36-0.
The contrast could not have been more stark from the get-go.
After its last score on a 2-yard touchdown reception by Jack Holl, Madison (1-0) enjoyed a 277-66 yards advantage, had eight plays of 10 or more yards and recorded five sacks.
To that point, Chagrin (0-1) had more punts (eight) than first downs (seven).
“Overall, I thought we ran to the ball on defense really well,” Blue Streaks coach Tim Willis said. “Early in the game, we stopped their running game and took them out of really probably what they wanted to do. I’m just very proud of our defense.
“Chagrin Falls is well-coached on offense, and we come out here and put a goose egg on them. That’s something we should be proud of.”
Following a Tigers punt, Madison began its scoring binge when Smith connected with a wide-open Nick Brooks over the middle for a 45-yard touchdown pass.
“That was kind of a trick play out of the backfield up the middle,” Brooks said.
The Blue Streaks pinned Chagrin on its next possession at its own 1 and took over at the Madison 26 — a field-position advantage that was evident throughout.
Smith scored on a 2-yard keeper to cap a four-play drive, and a Connor Nikses 2-point conversion reception pushed the advantage to 15-0.
Aaron Petruccelli took a Smith pass on the left side and sped down the sideline for a 55-yard TD and a 22-0 lead late in the half as Madison took firm control.
In the first half, the Blue Streaks’ average field position to start a drive was the Chagrin 46. The Tigers’ average was their own 15.
“Hats off to them,” Chagrin coach Mark Iammarino said. “You’ve got to give them credit. They looked like a veteran team. I knew they had a new, young quarterback (Smith), and I thought he did a really nice job.
“They looked like a team coming off a (Division II) regional championship game, and we looked like a brand-new team. And that’s pretty much where we’re at. I told our guys, ‘We’ll get better. We’re going to work hard and get better.’ ”
Defensively, Madison was outstanding in disrupting the comfort of Tigers quarterback Michael Brigeman in the pocket. Brigeman was 9-for-16 for 44 yards and was sacked five times, including one from Brooks early in the second for an 8-yard loss.
“We came out, and we gave 110 percent,” Brooks said. “We did the best we could.”
Nikses contributed a 2-yard score out of the Wildcat late in the third, and Holl’s TD catch from Smith early in the fourth envoked the new running-clock rule to make it an early night.
Smith ran for 48 yards on seven carries and completed seven passes for 162 yards, including three for 98 yards to Petruccelli, as the Blue Streaks owned this opener.
“I was very concerned coming in, being the first game, first game at home,” Willis said. “There are a lot of new guys, especially on the offensive line and at quarterback — the guys have jitters. Anything could happen. Playing a solid football program like Chagrin Falls, I was nervous. But our kids came out and performed.”